Mind The Gap When Jumping Over Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge in London is a city landmark, which throughout its history saw many interesting events.

One of the most famous incidents on the bridge occurred on December 30, 1952. During that time, the lights on the Tower Bridge would turn to red, the gateman would ring bells to encourage pedestrians to move off the bridge and close the gates, while the head watchman would order the bridge to lift when it was clear. That evening, the relief watchman was on duty and he had mistakenly raised the bascules while traffic was still on the bridge. A number 78 bus was on the bridge as the bascules began to open before double decker had managed to cross the bridge.

Tower Bridge bus jump artist’s impression on the postcard

The driver Albert Gunter made a daring decision to accelerate and jump the gap between the two bascules. The bus made a successful leap of about 3 feet landing on the north bascule, which had not started to rise. Nobody was seriously injured. The conductor broke his leg, and twelve of the twenty passengers aboard received minor injuries. The City Corporation accepted responsibility for the error and Albert Gunter received a reward of £10 for his bravery.